The house-opening [from the AIATSIS collection]
Streaming video - 2014
When Geraldine Kawanka's husband died, she and her children moved out of their house. In earlier times, their bark house would have been burnt, but today a "house-opening" ceremony has evolved, creatively mingling Aboriginal, Torres Strait, and European traditions in order to deal with death in the context of new living patterns in the Aboriginal community of Aurukun, on the Cape York Peninsula, north Queensland. This beautifully observed documentary shows both the preparations for the ceremony and then the elaborate event itself, involving ritual, dancing, music, and a big feast that not even a sudden drenching tropical storm can disrupt. Narrating the film herself, Geraldine Kawangka expresses her feelings about the gatheri...ng of family members, explains the relationships between old and new traditions, and finally examines her feelings about returning to her house after the ceremony is over. She talks about how the ceremony is essential as a way to teach young people about traditional values and customs, and to give them a sense of belonging to a huge extended family: "if our children lost these ceremonies, children wouldn't know who they are or where they come in". Directed by Judith MacDougall.
- Subjects
- Published
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[San Francisco, California, USA] :
Kanopy Streaming
2014.
- Language
- English
- Corporate Author
- Corporate Author
- Other Authors
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- Online Access
- A Kanopy streaming video
Cover Image - Item Description
- Title from title frames.
- Physical Description
- 1 online resource (1 video file, approximately 42 min.) : digital, .flv file, sound
- Format
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.
- Access
- AVAILABLE FOR USE ONLY BY IOWA CITY AND RESIDENTS OF THE CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, HILLS, AND LONE TREE (IA).